Cannes Film Festival: Number Of Female Filmmakers In Competition Drops, But Percentage Remains The Same

Did you know that despite having a career that has spanned four decades, celebrated French filmmaker Claire Denis has only had four of her films ever premiere at the Cannes Film Festival? And it’s been 24 years since Denis had a film debut in competition—1998’s “Chocolat” with Isaach de Bankolé. That finally changes this spring when Denis’ new film, “Stars At Noon” premieres and puts her back in the competition frame.

The Cannes Film Festival has added two more titles to its lineup ahead of next month’s 75th edition, it was announced on Friday.

Italian actor and director Valeria Golino has been set as jury president for the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival this year.

Zack Sharf Italian director, actor and producer Valeria Golino will serve as the president of the jury for this year’s Un Certain Regard sidebar at the Cannes Film Festival. Golino follows in the footsteps of last year’s jury president Andrea Arnold.

After what was rumored to be a long search, Thierry Fremaux has found his president for the 2022 Cannes Film Festival Jury. Legendary French actor Vincent Lindon, who starred in last year’s Palme d’Or winner, “Titane,” will take the mantle following Spike Lee‘s reign last year.

The 2022 edition of the Cannes Film Festival will include a record number of films directed or co-directed by female filmmakers, one year after Julia Ducouranu’s “Titane” took home the festival’s top award.

The 2022 edition of the Cannes Film Festival will include a record number of films directed or co-directed by female filmmakers, one year after Julia Ducouranu’s “Titane” took home the festival’s top award.

Cannes has added a raft of movies to its lineup ahead of the festival next month.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentThe Cannes Film Festival has added a string of new titles to its Official Selection, including three movies in competition: Léonor Serraille’s “Un Petit Frere,” Albert Serra’s “Tourment sur les iles” and “The Eight Mountains” by Charlotte Vandermeersch and Felix Van Groeningen (“The Broken Circle Breakdown”).“The Eight Mountains” is an Italian film based on Paolo Cognetti’s 2016 novel. It revolves around a young man who returns to a young man who finds refuge in the Italian village where he spent a summer as a child with his parents.

Claudia Eller Co-Editor-in-ChiefIt’s beyond distressing how women directors continue to get short shrift at Cannes.How could it be that this year only three movies helmed by females will be contenders in the main competition of the world’s most prestigious film festival?It’s horribly disappointing, but far from shocking, given that last year only four out of 21 competition titles were directed by females and considering Cannes’ poor track record when it comes to recognizing women filmmakers competing throughout its 75-year history. After all, just two movies by women directors, Jane Campion’s “The Piano” and Julia Ducournau’s “Titane,” have ever won the coveted Palme d’Or.Of course, I’m thrilled for director Kelly Reichardt (“Showing Up”), Valeria Bruni Tedeschi (“Forever Young”) and Claire Denis (“Stars at Noon”), but nonetheless their movies represent a meager portion of the 18 titles in competition at Cannes.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentIn the run up to Cannes, Gaumont is launching sales on “The Pot of Feu,” Tran Anh Hung’s period romance starring Juliette Binoche and Benoit Magimel. The movie is currently shooting in a French castle.Set in the world of French gastronomy in 1885, “The Pot of Feu” charts the relationship between Eugenie, an esteemed cook, and Dodin, the fine gourmet she has been working for over the last 20 years.

Wilson Chapman editorThe official poster for the 75th Annual Cannes Film Festival has been released, paying tribute to Peter Weir’s beloved film “The Truman Show.”First released in 1998, “The Truman Show” stars Jim Carrey as a man who has spent his entire life unknowingly raised as the subject of a 24/7 reality show. The Cannes poster captures a moment from the climax of the film where Truman escapes from the set of the show, discovering that the sky is a painted wall with a staircase leading to the exit.

The Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday revealed the poster for its upcoming 75th edition, with more than a nod to Peter Weir’s 1998 film The Truman Show starring Jim Carrey as its inspiration.

Although it turned out to be David Lynch-less, this year’s Cannes line-up is in no shortage of big names (complete list here). Claire Denis returns to the competition section for the first time in 34 years with her Nicaraguan ‘80s romance “Stars At Noon”; James Gray premieres his childhood-inspired “Armageddon Time”; and, as the headliner, “Crash” and “Videodrome” director David Cronenberg looks set to return to his body-horror roots with the Viggo-in-chrysalis “Crimes of the Future.” And if that competition doesn’t sound fierce enough already, there’s also a new movie from Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda, titled “Broker,” which now has its first trailer.

Cannes Directors’ Fortnight has unveiled its line-up for 2022. Scroll down to see the full list.

When we sit down with Thierry Frémaux he is in pensive mood. As is his wont.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentA few hours after unveiling Cannes Film Festival’s 2022 Official Selection on the Champs Elysees, artistic director Thierry Fremaux sat down with Variety to discuss the festival’s drive to not give in to calls for a cultural boycott of Russian films and filmmakers, efforts to have more female directors in competition, discussions to bring back streamers in a near future and what those rumors about David Lynch in the lineup were about. The all-star competition lineup of this upcoming 75th edition boasts no less than four Palme d’Or winning directors, including Japanese master Kore-eda Hirokazu (Japan) and Swedish helmer Ruben Ostlund (“Triangle of Sadness”), as well new films by David Cronenberg (“Crimes of the Future”), Kelly Reichardt (”Showing Up”), James Gray (“Armageddon Time”) and dissident Russian director Kirill Serebrennikov (“Tchaïkovski’s Wife”).

The 75th Cannes Film Festival, which runs May 17-28, was already due to be a starry affair with the likes of Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick and Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis screening out of competition. Today it got even hotter with a strong Official Selection that should make for glamorous red carpets, but one that will likewise treat serious subject matter.

a competition lineup with only three films directed by women. While additional films could still be added to the slate for next month’s festival, the Cannes lineup falls short of the already dismal record of the last two editions of the festival.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentThis year’s crop of filmmakers at the Cannes Film Festival don’t represent a new benchmark in terms of gender diversity. Since becoming the first international festival to sign a gender parity pledge in 2018, Cannes has failed to make substantial progress in ramping up the representation of female directors in competition which remains dominated by male directors.Cannes director Thierry Fremaux told Variety last week that he was aiming to “hopefully” have a “stronger presence of female directors” in 2022.